Cost of autistic children cripples parents up to $50,000 a year

PARENTS having to sell their homes or move overseas to access treatment that costs up to $50,000 a year.

Jane Hansen

The Sunday TelegraphFebruary 12, 20124:10pm

Generic photo of a father's finger being held by his child's hand. Picture: Hornby ScottSource:The Daily Telegraph

PARENTS of autistic children are having to sell their homes or move overseas to access crucial treatment that costs up to $50,000 a year.

Federal government guidelines recommend early intervention with a "minimum of 20 hours a week over two or more years" but its funding covers just an hour a week, advocates say.

"You're looking at $30,000 to $50,000 a year," said Nicole Rogerson from Autism Awareness Australia.

She said the government's "Helping children with autism package" of $6000 a year for two years is a "Band-Aid on a gushing wound" and only wealthy families can afford early intervention.

"It's a travesty," she said.

Ms Rogerson also runs the Lizard Centre, which provides the clinically proven best practice Applied Behavioural Analysis program but wait lists are long and families are selling their homes to pay for the treatment.

Belinda Hitchcock's five-year-old son Bradley was diagnosed with autism two years ago when he could not talk.

The family is preparing to sell their Carlingford home to fund the $50,000 required for this year's treatment.

"We're scrounging for money. My husband works 6am 'til 7pm, but it's what you have to do because early intervention is the best thing," Mrs Hitchcock said.

She has considered heading to the UK where early intervention is paid for by the state.

Monique Blakemore and her husband Chris moved from Canberra to Manchester in 2009 because their two sons, Nicholas 7, and Mathew, 6, were both diagnosed with autism and they could not afford treatment here, despite each working two jobs.

"Early intervention is so important and to do it properly would have cost us $60,000," Mrs Blakemore said.

Mr Blakemore was born in England, enabling the children to access the state-funded intensive program.

"Nick was going to start school in Australia with no guarantee of help, but here he gets 20 hours of one-on-one in the classroom plus access to psychologists and speech therapists. Mathew also has full-time one-on-one support," she said. "I miss the weather and I'm homesick, but we are disability refugees."